Despite the bad weather, the sailing season started last weekend. Not only the pleasure boats are slowly being put into the water, the battle against aquatic plants can almost start again. Where they annually struggle with pondweed on the Gooimeer, on the Loosdrechtse Plassen they do everything they can to tackle the Brazilian cabomba plant.
The Gooi fight against aquatic plants – NH Nieuws
Loosdrechter Kees Blase is especially concerned about cabomba caroliniana, as the plant is called in its entirety. “Many plants have already been displaced by the exotic usurer. It has also been registered as a banned plant, so we really need to remove it.”
The plant is actually known as an aquarium plant, but appeared more than ten years ago in the Loosdrechtse Plassen. “He came this way from Brazil.”
fountain herb
On the Gooimeer they have completely different problems with aquatic plants. Fountain herb has been throwing a spanner in the works of boating enthusiasts there for years. “If your propeller gets full, your engine can be irreparably damaged,” says Kees Kooijman of Stichting Maaien Waterplanten Randmeren. “We have to ensure that water sports enthusiasts still have some space left.”
“The plant always comes back in places where it is not removed root and all”
Ideas to possibly visit the Gooimeer deepen do not get off the ground. Nevertheless, there is hope for water sports enthusiasts: a new mower should make removal a lot easier on the border lakes. “We are now building a prototype. A pontoon that can be deployed much more efficiently with an elevator belt that allows the mown herbs to be brought on board in no time.”
Eternal battle
Yet Kooijman and Blase have no illusions: the fight against aquatic plants will return every year. For example, the exotic cabomba will no longer leave Loosdrecht, Blase expects: “You will not get it off in the corners and under the scaffolding. The plant always comes back in places where it is not removed root and all. But we have to get to this area. keep it navigable.”